Guide for people with foreign qualifications

Last updated: 10/3-2023

In the guide you can read about what you need to do if you have a foreign qualification.

What applies to people educated in another country?

When you apply for a job, for a place at a university college or a university, or to supplementary education, it will make things easier for you, for the employer and the education provider if you have had an evaluation of your foreign qualifications made.

Degree certificates need to be translated unless they are in Swedish, English, French, Spanish or German, or in one of the Nordic languages.

If you lack documentation of all or part of your post-upper secondary education you can still apply to UHR, as you may be able to get an official description of your educational background instead of a recognition statement about it.

You can use the official description when you apply for a job or for further education.

If your grades and certificates are in not in Swedish, any of the other Nordic languages, English, German, French or Spanish then they may need to be translated.

This may be so that the employer understands if your grades are relevant to the work you seek. It may also be to apply for studies at university level or for supplementary education.

If you are registered with the Swedish Employment Service (Af) you may receive help with the translation. If you are not registered, you must rely on an authorised translator.

Which type of education do you have?

Which agency you shall turn to in order to have your education assessed depends on the type of education you have and whether it is completed or not.

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or have applied for a residence permit in Sweden, you can request an assessment of your foreign qualifications. This applies to you if you are an asylum seeker as well.

If you have completed a foreign higher education, you can have it assessed by the Swedish Council for Higher Education. It will issue a document that states briefly which Swedish degree your qualification corresponds to.

If you have begun an academic education outside of Sweden that you would like to finish in Sweden, credit for parts of your education can be transferred. This means that you will not have to study the same thing again in Sweden.

It is the university or university college you apply to that determines what parts of your previous education credit can be transferred for. They also determine whether you are qualified to apply for the education programme in question.

Contact the institution, which has the education you are interested in, for guidance.

The Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet in Swedish, or UHR) makes assessments of foreign education qualifications.

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or have applied for a residence permit in Sweden, you can request an assessment of your foreign qualifications. This applies to you if you are an asylum seeker as well.

The evaluation is intended to help you when you apply for work in Sweden. It can also be helpful if you plan to continue your studies in Sweden.

Having an evaluation by UHR is not a requirement for applying to higher education. You can also have your previous education evaluated by the university or university college you are applying to, in connection with your application.

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or have applied for a residence permit in Sweden, you can request an assessment of your foreign qualifications. This applies to you if you are an asylum seeker as well.

If you have completed a foreign higher education, you can have it assessed by the Swedish Council for Higher Education. It will issue a document that states briefly which Swedish degree your qualification corresponds to.

Some professions in Sweden are regulated. This means that Swedish law defines what is required in order to be allowed to work within that profession. In order to be allowed to work within a regulated profession you have to apply for a registration or certification from the competent authority for that particular profession.